The
Phenomenology of Prayer #1
“Prayer is a deep, quite
possibly the deepest decentering of the self, seep enough to begin dismantling
or, if you like, deconstructing that is burning preoccupation with myself.”
(Page 15)
In
the novel, The Phenomenology of Prayer, praying is described as a
kenotic gesture. The root word, kenosis, means the 'self-emptying' of
one's own desires and becoming receptive to God's word. An example of this is
when Jesus gave up his divine attributes to become human and walk amongst us on
earth.
In
the first chapter, Carlo Caretto, a spiritual author and priest, quotes…
“It is impossible to
pray to a personal God and remain indifferent to your suffering brethren. It is
impossible. Anyone who prays without suffering for his suffering brothers is
praying to a pole, a shadow, not to the living God.
Because if you pray to
the living God, you who are living, He, the Living One, sends you to your
living brothers.” (Page 16)
Again, in
order to be perceptive to God’s word, kenosis must occur and in order to go
through the kenotic process, one must abandon all desires and wishes. After
this happens, we are able to focus our energy fully on God, as the burden of
our selfish notions is temporarily lifted.
According
to Carlo Caretto, once kenosis has taken place, God sends you to your community
to help relieve them of their suffering. Due to kenosis, you are not hindered
by selfishness and are able to wholeheartedly respond to your companions, and
ultimately God.
“In this totality, the
circle is always broken by the intrusion of both the divine and the human
other” (Page 16)
This ongoing
relationship amongst the individual, God and other humans allows us to connect
an important term used in class: communitas. Communitas is
an unstructured community in which the people connected through a sense of sharing and intimacy. It develops among these persons
as they experience spiritual development together. Therefore, as long as the living God sends us
to our dear friends and family, communitas continuously grows and strengthens.
Through the initial kenotic process, we understand the important
role of the community; Prayer connects us to our living Higher Power, which additionally
connects us to those intimately around us. As long as one continues to pray and
seek guidance, one will become more involved in communitas.
No comments:
Post a Comment